The invention relates to a ladder anchoring system. More particularly, the invention relates to a system for anchoring a ladder into the ground below for ensuring safety to the user.
A ladder is a tool used by people in almost every trade. A ladder makes inaccessible locations suddenly accessible. However there are certain dangers associated with ladder use. Level ground is not always present to position the ladder upon, and often workers can only try their best to stabilize the ladder before climbing. However, even when placed on level ground and against a solid building, a ladder can become more and more unstable as the user climbs. The ladder can easily "kick-out" from the building surface, or slide laterally on the building surface and fall. A falling ladder not only injures the worker climbing the ladder, but can easily injure others working in the vicinity.
Homeowners tend to use ladders even more than tradespeople. However, for the typical homeowner, climbing a ladder is not an everyday occurence. Thus, many homeowners climb ladders without properly positioning the ladder first. As a result countless homeowners are injured every year when the ladder they climb falls. Many of these injuries could be prevented if the ladder were properly anchored before it were climbed.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 302,733 to Jayne; 369,084 to Smith; and 375,249 to Bacon each disclose ladders having spiked members permanently attached at the bottom end thereof. Although these ladders might quite effectively secure themselves into the ground surface, they are unsuitable for use indoors. Further, they can easily cause serious injury to the user or others while the ladder is being transported.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,579 to Moson discloses a ladder having an anchoring system. The anchoring system in Moson is simply a pair of ordinary stakes which each have a hook for engaging the lowest ladder rung or extending through an aperature near the side rails. However, since the stakes are not permanently attached to the ladder, there is a great possibility that they will be lost, or will simply not be used everytime the ladder is used.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.